


Sumac

by Bishop_Strode



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce and Pam were savage as kids, Bruce and Pamela are childhood friends, Gen, Pamela knows Batman's identity, Plant!Tim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22827109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bishop_Strode/pseuds/Bishop_Strode
Summary: An alternate universe based somewhat on the flashback from Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker where Tim is rescued before he's brainwashed. Not by Batman, but by a more sympathetic member of his rogues gallery. Now, Tim's left with an irreversible condition and the support of his family and friends to help him through it all.
Relationships: Pamela Isley & Bruce Wayne, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Pamela Isley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, Tim Drake would be ruler of the world with the Justice League wrapped around his finger.

"You."

On the rooftop in Crime Alley, Poison Ivy stared at Batman impassively, undaunted by the obvious rage in his eyes and snarl. Nightwing and Red Hood both stared at the scene before them in shock and fury. Mostly fury in Red Hood's case. Standing next to Ivy was their little brother. Sweet Timmy, who was looking down at his bare feet in shame and sorrow. But this was not the Tim they knew, or at least, not on the outside. His skin, once pale as the moonlight, was now a spring green color and his once blue eyes were now a piercing green. His Robin suit was in tatters and much of his skin was showing as he was nearly naked, his mask gone. There are cuts and bruises all over him. His blood is dark green. He smelled of cut grass and fruit, but he looked so uncomfortable. His insides felt like gravel. He felt sick in the moonlight. His skin itched so much.

God his skin...

"What did you do?!" Batman growled.

"I saved his life," Ivy said simply. "No thanks to you."

"What do you mean?" Batman said, eyes still narrowed. "You weren't the one who-"

"No," Ivy said, disgusted by the insinuation. "You know me better than that."

"Than who...?" Batman trailed off, noticing the look in Ivy's eyes. "Joker."

Tim gave a whimper, while Ivy nodded solemnly. Dick ran his fingers through his hair, evidently distressed, while Jason cussed fiercely.

"I'll fucking kill him," Jason swore.

Ivy snorted. "A bit late on that, child."

The silence that followed was deafening. So the Joker was dead then. The revelation was so sudden that it didn't even seem real. The Joker had been a part of their lives for so long. Ivy had killed the Joker, and Tim... she...

"And this was your idea of help?" Bruce said in both anger and incredulity, referring to the third Robin's current condition.

"If you knew what the Joker had in store for him, you'd have done the same thing," Ivy said simply, before looking deep into Batman's eyes. "Bruce."

Bruce jaw clenched and his fists tightened. He looked like he wanted to attack the eco-terrorist, until his eyes fell on his son, and felt like a rock had hit the pit of his stomach as he saw the boy's face. He looked so broken, so sad. He couldn't lose control. Not here, with Tim like this.

He glared at Ivy. "Leave."

Red Hood looked at Bruce incredulously. "The fuck?! B, she-"

But Batman sent him a glare that shut him up, and looked back at Ivy. "Leave, Pamela. Now."

Ivy didn't argue. She walked away to the edge of the building, a long root curling its way up the side of the building. Stepping on it, Ivy gave one last glance to the Batfamily, her eyes softening when her eyes met Tim's, before she vanished into the alleyway.

Once the plant princess had gone, the three vigilantes looked to their youngest, their expressions and demeanor going from fierce and furious to soft and worrisome.

"Tim?" Bruce said gently, putting his hand on Tim's green shoulder.

Tim flinched and whimpered, inching away from Bruce. He couldn't look at him. He couldn't let them touch him. He was poison. He was a freak. He... he...

"Oh, Timmy..."

Dick was instantly by his side, arms wrapped around Tim as he pulled the into a hug. Tim tried to wrench himself free from Dick's grasp, afraid he would contaminate his older brother. But soon, he melted into Dick's arms and started sobbing.

"Dick, I feel... it burns. I don't like it. It burns so much, Dick."

"Shhh. It'll be okay, Timmy. We can figure this out."

"I'm a freak," Tim sniffled.

"No. You're just different now," Dick promises, rubbing soothing circles into Tim's back. "You're just different now, and there's nothing wrong with that."

broke down. Jason reached into the hug to try and brush the tears away. His face was so distressed that Tim buried his face into Dick's shoulder, unwilling to look his family in the eye. He couldn't let them see his face. See him weak. He was trained to be better than that. Jason sat on Tim's other side so that he could rub Tim's back, continually cursing Ivy, the Joker, and Gotham as whole, cursing them all to hell.

Bruce, meanwhile, would be forever haunted by the site before him. Dick, despite his reassurances, was no longer happy and bubbly, but rather pale and scared. Jason was so angry and hateful towards the world right now, and very little Bruce could do would quell him. And in their arms was his youngest son, looking so scared, confused, and broken, afflicted with a curse that, as far as he knew, was incurable.

But he needed to be strong. His sons needed him, and he was going to get them through this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sumac: A species of small trees sporting flowers that usually come in red, white, or pink. Despite their beauty, they are highly toxic and cause allergic reactions.

Bruce sighed in exhaustion. Sitting in his bed, he stared at the laptop detailing the latest police report. The Joker's body, or what was left of it, had been found shortly after Bruce, Dick, and Jason took Tim home. Alfred immediately escorted Tim to the infirmiry to have him looked at, and the poor boy was down there for hours. Eventually, Tim fled to his room, locking himself there for hours despite Dick and Jason's attempts at trying to comfort him. Bruce could still hear the poor boy sobbing.

Looking at the picture, Bruce saw that Ivy really did a number on the clown. There was a permanent expression of horror and agony on his face as a multitude of vines penetrated all around his body. One particularly large vine was shoved violently up his rectum and came out of his mouth. A multitude of thorny twigs were protruding from where his eyes used to be, and his arm had been completely ripped out of its socket. An autopsy had revealed that the Joker's body had been injected with some kind of organic toxin that stimulated his physical health so that he would remain alive even while enduring such horrible tortures. Ivy wanted him to die slowly.

Harley Quinn had apparently been involved with Tim's kidnapping, but when police arrived at the crime scene, she was nowhere to be found. Bruce had no doubt Ivy had something to do with that. He would ask her the next time they saw each other.

Bruce growled when he had realized what the Joker had planned for Tim. Blood samples taken from Tim had shown the Joker, amidst a number of grueling tortures, had injecte Tim with a unique form of the Joker venom. Unlike most forms, this venom carried traces of the Joker's DNA, and slowly transformed whomever was injected with it into an exact replica of the Joker's likeness.

The Joker wanted to corrupt Tim, change him into something horrible and turn him against his family.

When Ivy had found Tim, the toxin had nearly overtaken him; seeing no other option, she took Tim back to her hideout where she recreated the same experiment that had given her her powers and appearance. Tim's transformation made him turn green and plant-like like Ivy, and also gave him her immunity to poison, causing the Joker venom to become harmless. Even now, his mutation was slowly eating away at the Joker venom in his body. As far as Bruce knew, Tim would continue developing powers just like Ivy. Bruce grimaced. Despite all of his attempts to keep his youngest son away from metahuman powers, he now had a meta for a son.

Bruce could barely suppress his sigh. He was far from okay with what Pam did. Tim's life would never be the same, and he had lost practically any chance at ever being normal. But at the same time, he was grateful to Ivy for saving Tim for what would have been an even more horrific fate.

"Damn it, Pam," Bruce growled, shaking his head.

Bruce blinked in surprise when a potted plant on his nightstand suddenly started shaking in an almost agitated-like manor. Then Bruce registered the smell of cut grass and fresh fruit.

Looking up, Bruce's eyes softened when he found Tim, clad in a gray tanktop and shorts, standing in the doorway. His eyes were teary and he had his arms wrapped around his body, shivering slightly. His green eyes shone beautifully in the dark, glowing like bioluminescence. Bruce immediately closed the laptop and put it on his nightstand.

"B-Bruce..."

"Come here, Tim," Bruce commanded gently.

Tim made his way over to the bed, his steps clumsy as he nearly fell a few times. He soon reached the bed, and Bruce pulled back the blankets, letting his youngest son slide in and cling to him tightly, wheeping and hiccuping.

"It burns..."

Bruce sighed, his strong arms pulling his little boy closer until he was settled against his chest, crying silently not making a sound as the shivering left him.

"It's alright, Tim. I'm here, and I promise we'll get you through this."

"I, Br... Dad..." Tim whimpered.

Bruce shushed Tim lightly, running his hands through his hair, which calmed Tim down. The potted plant ceased its movements as well. Bruce suppressed a chuckle. Well, that confirmed the powers theory.

Their moment of silence was interrupted when the door to the bedroom was suddenly thrown open, and the two eldest Bat brothers were both crammed in the doorway, looking terrified.

"Bruce!" Dick said frantically. "Tim's not in his room, he-"

Dick shut up, lips tightening shut when he saw his little brother curled up against their father's chest. His outburst had agitated his drowsy brother, who was shivering again. The potted plant was shaking as well. Bruce gave his sons a warning glare, and they both sent silent apologies.

Nodding in forgiveness, Bruce went back to calming Tim down.

Dick and Jason carefully entered the room so not to scare their little brother, and Dick sat at the edge of the bed. Tim had drifted away by that point, his crying having died down into soft snores.

Jason remained standing. "How's he doing?"

"He'll live," Bruce said, his eyes not leaving Tim. "I... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. This is going to be difficult. For all of us, but mostly for him."

Dick, always the positive one, gave a smile. "Hey, come on. Timmy's a fighter. He'll get through this. Who knows? He might even be able to put this to good use."

Jason gave a snort, but even he seemed a little intrigued by the idea. Bruce wasn't sure. He just looked at Tim in contemplation.

There was silence again, and Dick and Jason still hadn't left. Bruce looked up at them, quirking an eyebrow. They shuffed nervously under his gaze.

Bruce gave a sigh. "Would you like to stay here tonight?"

Jason was about to deny it, but Dick quickly nodded and crawled into bed so that Tim was sandwiched between him and Bruce. Jason rolled his eyes but couldn't resist climbing in as well. They all formed a protective barrier around Tim, and Dick pushed some hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear.

He got a good whif of Tim, and for a moment he forgot how to breathe.

"He... smells really good."

Bruce didn't comment, while Jason guffawed. Dick glared at Jason and thwapped his head, which started a brief thwap-off between brothers.

Bruce eventually got them to settle down, and about an hour later, everyone was sound asleep. Tim was finally calm after the horrific events of the past week and dreampt peacefully.

They were all unaware of the activity brewing from the potted plant, and in the morning, everyone but Tim would find themselves ensnared in a multitude of vines.

Alfred had never put the hedge clippers to such good use before.


	3. Chapter 3

_"I really don't understand why you put up with her. She's so... utterly condescending. So... rich."_

_The thirteen year-old ebony haired boy quirked an eyebrow. "You realize that I'm rich, too, don't you?"_

_"You don't count," the twelve year-old redheaded girl that was currently painting his toenails said quickly._

_Bruce and Pamela sat alone together in the greenhouse set up in the backyard of Wayne Manor, established years ago for Martha Wayne's gardening hobbies. Since the loss of his parents, Bruce had spent quite a bit of time there both in mourning and to maintain the flowers that his mother once cherished. His friendship with Pam had also granted him more knowledge on how to better care for plants. Plants were the girl's life._

_"Rachel's family aren't even millionaires," Bruce tried to defend his sort of childhood friend. "They're more middle class."_

_"Middle class and so obviously working to pair the two of you together in some archaic arranged marriage," Pam retorted with a bitter sneer that she had so obviously gotten from Bruce. "There's a term for people like that. It's called gold diggers."_

_"I have no intention of marrying Rachel," Bruce said with a fond smile as Pam finished applying the red nail polish to his toes._

_"Let me know if she tries to claw your eyes out when you tell her that. It'll give me an excuse to slap her."_

_"Honestly, Miss Pamela. Young Master Bruce has corrupted you to the point of no return," Alfred said as the butler sauntered into the greenhouse carrying a plate with two glasses of lemonade. Both children took it graciously. "It is rather disheartening. You seemed like such a fine young lady."_

_"Why, Alfred, I had no idea you cared so much," Pam gushed, batting her eyelashes._

_Alfred merely smiled warmly. "You will be staying over for dinner again, I presume?"_

_"No meat," Pam said firmly._

_"Of course," Alfred nodded, making his way out. "Master Bruce. Exquisite pedicure."_

_Bruce grumbled, blushing. He reluctantly held is hand out when Pam snapped her fingers for him to do so, and began applying the polish to his fingernails._

_"I can't believe I agreed to let you do this."_

_"Quit whining. It makes you look cute."_

_"I thought I was always cute?"_

_"That's just something I say to make you feel good about yourself."_

_"Perhaps redheads truly are related to Satan."_

_"Oh stop. You know I love you," Pam chuckled with a smile. "Just think of this as a favor to me. One day, I'll repay you."_

_Bruce smiled at his best friend. "I'll hold you to that."_

"Bruce?"

Bruce was broken out of his reminiscing by the voice of his oldest son, and turned the open doorway to the backyard where he had been staring at the greenhouse.

"Yes, Dick?"

Dick frowned, glancing behind Bruce briefly before looking back at his father. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Bruce said emotionlessly, silently ordering Dick to drop it. "What did you need?"

Dick was silent for a moment. "I was going to ask if you had heard anything from Ivy yet."

Ever since she had returned Tim to them a week ago, Poison Ivy had completely dropped off of the face of the Earth. Her usual safe house in Crime Alley was completely cleared out. No plants or anything remained. When his own searches through Gotham turned up empty, he had resorted to contacting the Justice League for assistance. They were still looking, but so far their efforts had proved fruitless.

"No. Nothing at all. I assume Jason hasn't found anything either?"

"He, Roy, and Kori are still looking. Haven't heard back from them yet. How... How's Tim doing?"

Tim. Bruce grimaced a bit. The boy honestly could be better. But really, what child would be after the horrific week he had endured? He hadn't left the manor since they had brought him home, both due to his family's protectiveness and his own fear. Aside from being extremely self-conscious about his new appearance, Tim had become afraid of his own shadow. The Joker had beat, cut, burned, and _electrocuted_ him repeatedly, all the while offering fake kind gestures to it. Even though the Joker was dead, it didn't really make Tim feel any safer and that broke Bruce's heart.

What made things even more complicated was how his emotions were effecting his powers. Whenever he became sad or upset, any plant within twenty meters of the boy would react in accordance. Bruce, Dick, and Alfred had to move several plants out of the manor because of this. It was one of the main reasons he was trying to track down Ivy. No one else knew what Tim was going through better than she did.

"He's adapting. Not quickly, but... he's getting there," Bruce said after a moment's thought. "He's outside."

Dick nodded and moved past Bruce to the patio in the backyard. He found the youngest member of the Bat clan sitting on a lawn chair by the hedge maze wearing only a pair of shorts. He had his knees upped to his chest and arms wrapped around them. To Dick's curiosity, he was gazing off to the side, and seemed to be whispering to something.

"Hey, Timmy," Dick said softly.

To his surprise, Tim actually jumped and looked up at Dick with wide eyes. Dick froze as the hedges seemed to come to life and writhe.

Tim grimaced. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Dick said, watching wearily as the hedges gradually became inanimate again. "What are you doing?"

"Just sitting. The sun actually feels really good," Tim commented, gazing up at the clear blue sky.

Dick quirked an eyebrow. Usually Tim tended to avoid the sun, saying he burned to easily. Must be an effect of his transformation. Drawn to sunlight like a real plant.

"Who were you talking to just now?"

Tim's green cheeks darkened to the shade of viridian as he blushed, looking down. "N-No one."

"I heard you whispering just now," Dick said slowly, glancing to where Tim had been facing before, eyes falling on... the hedges?

"Tim, were you... _talking_ to the shrubs?"

"No!" Tim said rather too quickly, then looked down in embarrassment. "Y-Yes."

"Oh," Dick said, shocked and not really sure what to say to that. He had gathered that Poison Ivy had some connection to plants that enabled her to communicate and control them but never knew the details.

"What is that even like?"

Tim was silent for a few moments, looking like he wasn't sure exactly how to describe it himself. Dick was about to tell him that it wasn't really important when he finally spoke.

"It's... I can hear whispering. It's like a song. But it sounds farther away, like whenever we can hear Jason playing with his earphones on full blast."

Dick just nodded to make it known that he was listening while Tim continued. "The melody changes based on how I feel. If I feel sad, it sounds sad. So I've been... trying to respond to it."

"How?"

"I just... think back to it. I don't know," Tim said, shrugging helplessly. "But it works better if I'm closer to them."

"And, what are they saying?" Dick said, nodding at the hedges.

Tim looked over at the bushes, and Dick thought he saw his brother smile a bit when the branches wiggled a bit.

"They're kind. They whisper nice things to me," Tim said, then to Dick's concern, he let off a hysterical sounding giggle. "Do-Do you think that's bad? Do you think I'm going crazy?"

"Oh, Timmy, no, no of course not," Dick said, immediately moving over and wrapping the boy in a hug. Tim tensed briefly before melting into it, burying his face in his brother's shoulder. "You're not going nuts or anything, Timmy. You're just going through a hard change is all."

"My skin is green and I can hear plants singing to me," Tim deadpanned, voice warbled with tears.

"Like I said, a hard change," Dick said, smiling to lighten the mood. Tim couldn't help but smile back. "We'll figure it out. We always do, right?"

Tim nodded shyly, sniffing as he wiped his eyes.

Dick patted his bare shoulder. "Alright, what do you wanna do now?"

"... I want Bruce."

"Then we'll find Bruce," Dick said, standing up and picking the smaller male up over his shoulder.

Tim gave a surprised squeak. "Dick! Put me down! I'm not a child anymore!"

"Please, babybird! You'll always be the baby of the family," Dick laughed as he carried the boy toward the manor.

"I'm almost thirteen!"

"Yeah, almost."

"This is so uncool of you! _Dick!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, forgot to mention. This story won't really have much of a coherent plot, just mostly a series of connected ficlets all focusing on Sumac Tim and his interactions with the world around him. Some chapters may form mini arcs. Suggestions for chapters are welcome!


End file.
